Category: Food for Thought

זכרון ציפה תרצה – The Food for Thought Archives in blessed memory of Celia Rosenberg a”h

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Acharei Mos – Focusing on Greatness to Avoid Punishment

What is the punishment of kares? Rabbeinu Bachye goes into much great length discussing this topic at the very end of this week’s Torah portion of Acharei Mos.


“For anyone who commits any of these abominations, the persons doing so shall be cut off from the midst of their people” (Vayikra 18:29).		 

Rabbeinu Bachye shares that there are 3 types of kares, which literally means being “cut off.”  There are 2 kinds in the first level:
 1a. Kares to the body in years, when one lives half of his lifetime originally decreed by Hashem.
1b. Kares to the body for days, where a person who already lived most his life then committed a sin punishable by kares, so he won’t live out the days set by Hashem for the rest of his lifetime. Indication of this punishment is a 3-day gradual death.
2. Kares to the soul.
3. Kares to the body and soul.
HaChacham Rebbi Avraham is of the opinion that kares of the soul is where the soul ceases to exist. This happens if one performed more sins than mitzvos including sins like eating chometz on Pesach or eating or working on Yom Kippur. A person gets kares to his body and soul for committing idolatry. The Rambam (perek 8, hilchos teshuva) is of the same opinion of what kares to the soul is and explains that the reward of the righteous is that they merit a pleasant life in the World to Come, and he lives in goodness. Retribution to the wicked is that they won’t live eternally, rather they will be cut off and die. Anyone who doesn’t merit life will die and won’t live forever, rather he is cut off in his wickedness and lost like an animal. This is the kares that the Torah says “cut off you shall be cut off.” This double language teaches us that he is cut off from this world and he also doesn’t deserve to live in the World to Come…
Rabbeinu Bachye has 3 questions on this view:
1. This punishment is exacted to a wicked person who didn’t repent from his bad ways, but Gehinom was also created for wicked people. Just as the completely righteous gets eternal delight, so too the completely evil person should have his soul eternally punished; but if he ceases to exist, like this view holds, then what happens to the punishment?
2. If you say Gehinom was created for middle-of-the-road people, not completely righteous or completely wicked, then that would mean the completely wicked would fare better; which doesn’t make any sense at all?!
3. Why weren’t those who received kares to the soul listed in the Mishna of perek Chelek in Gemara Sanhedrin as those that don’t have any share in the World to Come? Rabbeinu Bachye concludes the questions on these sages by pointing out that even the worst in Gehinom, who never move on to Heaven, don’t exist on their own merits but rather only have a share of existence out of Hashem’s righteousness. Like a pauper who has nothing to eat and must rely on others for nourishment. And even those sinners who go down and never come up, at least see some respite on Shabbos and Yom Tov; so how can those who are guilty of punishment of kares to their soul be any worse?
 
Rabbeinu Bachye therefore concludes and mentions that the Ramban and Onkelus agrees to this view, that it’s impossible to be that kares of the intellectual soul means that one will cease to exist. Rather, what it means when it says “that the soul will be cut off from his nation” is from the place one is carved out of he is cut off from. Cut off from his nation, meaning he will be cut off from all the other souls who are considered “his nation,” being cut off from them never to return, like a branch cut off from a tree, it’s life source. But his soul will be nurtured by the luster of Hashem’s Holy Presence, not in its destined place, since it accepted upon himself to be cut off from where he was carved out from. So too when the pasuk says “the soul will be cut off from before Me,” this is referring to the place where the Shechina rests, namely the Land of Israel, because that is where the Gate of Heaven is located, which is where all the souls go up from. This is why the righteous desire to die there… this is what it means that the soul will be cut off from its place and will not rest within the boundaries. But it will definitely park itself in some other place, since it was cut off from its designated place, and it’s certainly not like the life force of an animal, G-D forbid, which just ceases to exist. (Click here for Hebrew text.)

 
To understand the argument between the Rambam’s camp and Rabbeinu Bachye’s camp we must first say that the Rambam must hold that the very fact that the soul which is punished with kares does not have the chance to experience the eternal bliss of Heaven, basking in the Holy Presence of Hashem, is enough of a punishment once it ceases to exist then all the torture of Gehinom. The Rabbeinu Bachye however obviously argues and says the torture of Gehinom must be worse, and therefore it makes no sense that such wicked people, who decided not to repent from their evil ways and deserve kares to their souls, would not go through Gehinom and would simply cease to exist. But there also seems to be a basic difference in appreciation of the human soul.
 
The Rambam and his camp seem to be of the view that if the physical person chose to treat himself just as an animal, then Hashem will treat him just that way, in a sense measure for measure, and he will cease to exist just as the life force of an animal just ceases to exist and there isn’t any afterlife.
 
However Rabbeinu Bachye and his camp has more of an appreciation to gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, and the fact that man is endowed with an intellectual soul hewn from the “Image of G-D” which was waiting right under the throne of Hashem before being placed into this world. Meaning it’s such a precious entity that itis impossible that Hashem would just do away with something so valuable and cause it  to just cease to exist forever. Therefore it must be that if this soul chooses to do really bad with its body in this world then at the worst it is in a sense excommunicated in the Next World, out into a place it was not destined for, separated from everyone else and far away from Hashem’s Holy Presence. Yet it is never lost forever, just placed in its own miserable circumstance, getting some level of benefit from Hashem, in a warped, irregular, and unnatural way. Rabbeinu Bachye says that even Korach and his followers, the personification of the evil of all evils, who were lost from this world and the next, did not cease to exist, but rather live in Gehinom intact with their punishment, and in the future will merit to be resurrected with the rest of the dead.
 

Rabbeinu Bachye goes on to discuss something which at first glance has no relevance here but when probing the matter seems to be very apropos. He says that many wise philosophers believe that the soul was created in order to learn wisdom and Torah within the physical body of a person. They bring proof which they feel is impossible to disprove: that from the beginning of its creation, when the soul enters the body, it has no knowledge or insight and as it grows wiser and grows up its intellect grows as long as the body is growing, which proves that the soul is only prepared for the body for if the soul was wise when entering the body then it would make sense that the body would be at an advance level of maturity when born.
 
Rabbeinu Bachye responds to this argument that it’s known that the philosopher’s beliefs aren’t the main belief because it’s all theoretical, based on hypotheses. They don’t know or understand because they walk in darkness but the Jewish intellectuals have the words of Chaza”l, the sages of truth, who from the mouths of prophets have accepted the truth, and they know for a fact, without a doubt, that the soul comes into a body already complete and with much wisdom from inception.
 
What happened to all this wisdom? Why aren’t we born smart and knowing how to do everything? Rabbeinu Bachye quotes at length the gemara in Nida 30b and a similar medrish which discusses how an angel learns Torah with the baby in the womb and the baby can see from one end of the world into the next, with light lit over its head. The angel also shows him the righteous in Gan Eden and the wicked in Gehinom, explains to the baby who each of them are and warns the baby you can turn out like one of the wicked in Gehinom or the righteous in heaven, it’s up to you to make the right decisions. When it’s time to leave the womb and go out into the world, the angel immediately slaps the child (this is the imprint in the middle of the upper lip below the nose) and extinguishes the candle, the baby is forced out, and forgets all that he or she learned, and then goes out to the open air of the world. This is why a baby cries as soon as it comes out.
 
Rabbeinu Bachye then says that he explained all this at this juncture because the soul with its wisdom and perfection comes to the body, but the angel causes it to forget as soon as it is born, as decreed by Hashem in order for one to put in efforts and busy oneself to learn and earn reward.
 
Rabbeinu Bachye continues at length and concludes that with pure logic it makes sense that a person who serves Hashem wholeheartedly naturally stays connected to Hashem and basks in His Holy Prescence; all those souls are at peace. But a soul that is cut off from the natural cause and effect of creation is miraculously set apart from its natural course and therefore this punishment must be spelled out and emphasized in the Torah.
 

What does the argument between the Torah sages and philosophers have to do with kares? What is the exact lesson Rabbeinu Bachye is delivering? It would seem that Rabbeinu Bachye isn’t just defining and explaining to us the concept of kares but he is trying to motivate us not to fall prey to and become ensnared in the sins that deserve this punishment. His means of doing so is by showing us how precious and valuable we are from the very beginning, even before we are born, and how beloved and sacred we are even after we physically die, no matter how low we get on in this world. There is no way Hashem would ever let go of something or someone as precious as our essence, our soul. This is not just a show of Hashem’s ever bountiful love for each and every one of us, but it’s also proof to gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, and Hashem expects us to choose to find and maintain that greatness inside of us.
 
We have to appreciate who and what we are. Priceless, eternal, extra special beyond words, and if we internalize that then we will treat ourselves and others with the proper respect deserving and try our best to avoid sullying ourselves physically and spiritually in order to maintain the high-level royalty which our souls deserve.

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Double Pesach edition 2nd and 8th day Haftorahs

Even Impactful Inspiration is Fleeting
The story of Yoshiyahu, one of the kings of Yehuda right before the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, of him finding a Torah scroll in the Beis Hamikdash, is told over on the second day of yom tov in exile, during Pesach. At that time there were idols erected in the Holy Temple and much corruption, but when Chilkiah the kohen found the scroll and opened it up, reading it to the king, and it was on the portion of the rebuke and blessings in the Torah portion of Ki Savo, King Yoshiyahu had an immense spurt of inspiration and he removed and destroyed all the idols in the Beis Hamikdash. With all his enthusiasm and passion, he inspired all the Jews to repent and remove any vestige of idolatry from amongst them. It was a revolution for the sake of Hashem, led by no other than the king himself!
When Pesach came around that year, the haftorah concludes, “And the king commanded all the people, saying, ‘Perform a Passover sacrifice to Hashem your God, as it is written in this scroll of the covenant.’ For such a Passover sacrifice had not been performed since the time of the judges who judged Israel, and all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. Except in the eighteenth year of King Yoshiyahu, this Passover sacrifice was performed to Hashem, in Jerusalem. And also the necromancers and those who divine by the yid’onim bone and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Yoshiyahu abolished, in order to fulfill the words of the Torah which were written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Hashem. Now, before him there was no king like him, who returned to Hashem with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his possessions, according to the entire Torah of Moshe, and after him no one arose” (Melachim Beis 23:21-25).

The Navi is sticking his neck out and testifying that there was no other Pesach like that year amongst the entire Jewish people since from the times of the Judges, and also testifies that there was no other king and there will be no other king like Yoshiyahu who repented the way he did. What do these pesukim mean, and how could it be for hundreds of years that there was no Pesach like that one on the 18th year of Yoshiyahu’s reign?

The Ralbag answers that this is referring to the end of the Judges, specifically referring to Shmuel. For in his lifetime all the Jews also fully repented and returned to Hashem. And in the days of King Shaul and King David the Jews had private alters, which was the opposite of the Torah’s intent, though they were indeed permitted at the time, and during the days of King Shlomo there were still some private alters and they also made private alters for idolatry. In the days of King Chizkiyahu not all the Jews repented to Hashem, rather some of them were making fun of the words of King Chizkiyahu. However, in the days of King Yoshiyahu, on that year, every single Jew returned to Hashem, and behold it mentions the Pesach done that year because one of the conditions of eating the Paschal Lamb is that a Jewish apostate and the like may not partake in eating it, and only in that year were the hearts of every single Jew with The Blessed Hashem. However, after that they sinned in secret  in the days of King Yoshiyahu. For this reason, the pasuk specifies that on the 18th year of the king Yoshiyahu’s reign they celebrated that Pesach solely for Hashem. For this reason [the next pasuk says] “Nevertheless, Hashem’s did not turn back from His great wrath” (pasuk 26), because without a doubt if the Jews would have returned to Hashem with all their soul, then Hashem’s security would have clung to them, and Hashem would have retracted His wrath from amongst them. For this reason also, King Yoshiyahu died with the sin of the nation, for he thought that all the Jews were strictly observing the mitzvos of Hashem and they were deserving for this reason for all the blessings written in the Torah would cling to them, and one of the blessings was that the sword will not go through your land, even the sword of peace. But because of the sins of the nation, he died. (Click here for Hebrew text.)

Imagine King Yoshiyahu amassed a Baal Teshuva movement that inspired everyone to come unify as one to celebrate Pesach properly unlike anything in the past few hundred years. Even in the days of King Shlomo, when there was peace and harmony for the Jews and they had just built the Beis Hamikdash, still with all the wisdom and spiritual heights it was not like that year in the times of King Yoshiyahu. Even in King David and King Shaul’s time they weren’t unified as it was then, since some brought the Korban Pesach on private alters, though that was permissible at the time, but it was not the ideal. If Yoshiyahu caused such a euphoria which had such an impact as it did, then what happened? Why was Hashem’s wrath not calmed?

We therefore learn from this episode in Jewish history that inspiration is still only fleeting, even inspiration which can make such an impact as it did; it still will not last without taking proper steps to maintain it in the long run. Hashem foresaw that this one-time unification for His sake was just that, a one-time deal. And although they only sinned in private while King Yoshiyahu was still alive, they obviously did not take the proper precautions to maintain the great level they had reached, and for that reason they caused the death of King Yoshiyahu (he might have been held on some miniscule level accountable for not creating fences and security systems to ensure they don’t stumble again even though it seems he didn’t even realize that would happen but he should have realized). Indeed, this eventually led, fairly soon after, to the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash.

The Malbim has scary ramifications of what happened based on a gemara in perek Chelek of maseches Sanhedrin. Hashem wanted to make King Chizkiyahu moshiach and Sancheriv would have been Gog and Magog if not for a sin that occurred. Meaning, when the ten tribes were exiled by Sancheriv, if everyone would have fully repented then the Final Redemption would have taken place at that time. After that didn’t happen, there was another chance in the times of King Yoshiyahu, for him to become the moshiach, since everyone in fact did do complete repentance in his days and Yirmiyahu the prophet in fact did bring back all the ten tribes from exile, thinking King Yoshiyahu would be moshiach and everyone for the first time in centuries celebrated Pesach in unity all together. However, it would seem that because the inspiration was fleeting and they didn’t take the proper precautions to maintain the level they were on then, King Yoshiyahu did not become moshiach, the First Beis Hamikdash was eventually destroyed soon after, and the Final Redemption has not happened yet.
May we all merit “Divine” Inspiration and solidify our repentance to the point that we will heed the proper precautions to not go back to our old mistakes again, and then Moshiach will reveal himself, and the Final Redemption will finally come into fruition speedily in our days.

Chag Kasher Visameach,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder  Click here for PDF easy print out.
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In the Times of Moshiach
We recite in Havdala on Motzei Shabbos a couple of pesukim from Yeshayahu perek 12:

Here is the God of my salvation, I shall trust and not fear; for the strength and praise of the Eternal the Lord was my salvation.” בהִנֵּ֨ה אֵ֧ל יְשֽׁוּעָתִ֛י אֶבְטַ֖ח וְלֹ֣א אֶפְחָ֑ד כִּ֣י עָזִּ֚י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֣הּ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִישׁוּעָֽה:
3And you shall draw water with joy from the fountains of the salvation. גוּשְׁאַבְתֶּם־מַ֖יִם בְּשָׂשׂ֑וֹן מִמַּֽעַיְנֵ֖י הַיְשׁוּעָֽה:

The Rem”a says the reason why these pesukim and the other pesukim are read is a siman tov, a good sign for the coming week (See Mishna Berura 296:1).

These pesukim are included in the haftorah for the 8th day of Pesach, which depicts the coming of Moshiach and includes the famous pasuk that describes how lambs and wolves will live peacefully amongst each other as it says towards the beginning of the haftorah , “And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them” (Yeshayahu 11:6). As well as the ingathering of all the Jews from exile and the entire world acknowledging Hashem’s salvation through the kingdom of Moshiach which will bring peace and harmony throughout the world, as spelled out in perek 11. Then in perek 12 it describes the songs of thanksgiving and praise to Hashem, besides these two pesukim which are in Havdala it also says, “And you shall say on that day, I will thank You, O Lord, for You were wroth with me; may Your wrath turn away and may You comfort me” (pasuk 1). “And you shall say on that day, Thank the Lord, call in His Name, publicize His deeds among the peoples; keep it in remembrance, for His Name is exalted. Sing to the Lord for He has performed mighty deeds; this is known throughout the land. Shout and praise, O dwellers of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Pesukim 4-6).
The Radak in perek 12 explains that the Jews will thank Hashem because originally, He was furious at us and exiled us, but now (when Moshiach will come) He will calm down and comfort us. Therefore we have to acknowledge Him for removing His wrath and not leaving us in exile, which we really deserve for the sins we committed. The Radak also quotes the Targum Yonasan on pasuk 3 that drawing water with joy is a parable to learning Torah wisdom, since wisdom is compared to water. The teachers are the springs [of salvation] and those who draw the water are the students. They will be learning new teachings as it says, “And then they will learn the knowledge of Hashem, that which no man has learned until now, on that day, as it says ‘Like water of the sea that covers it.’” Then in the next pasuk the Radak relates that with alacrity they will thank Hashem and sing His praise, and call in His Name towards the nations, just as Avraham did. They will sing praises of the greatness of Hashem just as they did at the splitting of the sea for Hashem will be known throughout the land that He rescued a destitute nation from the many powerful nations. The wars of Gog and Magog will also be known throughout the world and for all these reasons it will be appropriate to sing songs of praise to Hashem. (click here for Hebrew text.)
It’s understandable why the Jewish people will raise up their voices in song and praise for the mighty G-d who is Holy and His Name is great amongst the Jews because of the wonders He performed during the wars of Gog and Magog as well as forgiving His children and bringing them back to their homeland from exile. But what connection is Torah learning to all of this? It seems out of place when we are discussing the wonders and miracles of Hashem’s deeds that will take place in the end of days.

However, we see from here that in fact Torah learning is our essence, and the opportunity to gain new clarity in the blueprints of creation and the handbook for mankind is on par with, and as great of a goal as, world peace, ultimate forgiveness from Hashem, the ingathering of the Jews from all the nations, and all the other wonders and miracles that will take place when Moshiach comes.

Pesach is a time of redemption, may it come speedily in our days. May we merit to appreciate the siman tov, good signs, that we have now and will be gaining in the future.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
 Click here for PDF easy print out.

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Metzora – Moving Inspiration of Reward and Punishment

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This dvar Torah is dedicated in memory of my paternal grandparents, Menachem Mendel (Manny) and Raizel (Rose) Milder who share the same yahretzeit on the 5th of Nissan, though they passed away a few years apart. May their memory be a blessing.


 The main cause of Tzaraas, the spiritual ailment, similar to leprosy, is the sin of lashon hara, slander. Rabbeinu Bachye, in his introduction to this week’s Torah portion of Metzora, paints a moving depiction of the power of speech, both for good and for bad.
 Rabbeinu Bachye always begins his introduction to the portion with a pasuk, usually from Mishlay. This week’s pasuk is “A man’s stomach will be sated with the fruits of his mouth; he will be sated with the produce of his lips” (Mishlay 18:20). “King Shlomo is informing us in this pasuk about the great power of the tongue for good and for bad. For if he uses his speech for learning words of Torah, rebuking others, and benefiting the public masses, behold his reward is with him and its affects are before him. If, on the other hand, he uses it for slanders, and to tattletale on others then behold his punishment is, reserved and ready, and ‘your stomach will be satiated from it.’ It comes out that the first part of the pasuk, ‘a man’s stomach will be satiated from the fruits of his mouth is referring to the punishment for lashon hara, slander, and the end of the pasuk, ‘he will be sated by the produce of his lips’ refers to the reward of the righteous who judges righteously and brings merit to the masses with his tongue. The pasuk after this pasuk is connected and explains it when it writes, ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love to use it will eat its fruits.’ This pasuk is saying that after the fact that death and life is within the potential of the tongue then one who loves speech, and desires to talk all the time should put in all his efforts to constantly accumulate reward by speaking in topics of wisdom and rebuke for the sake of life, truth, and peace, to eat the fruits of speech and his reward will be in multitudes since life is within the power of speech. Since he has a habit to speak more than other people, then the more reward he can accrue. The opposite is also true, if one loves speech to speak lashon hara and rechilus, slandering and spreading evil talk about others, then his punishment will be great and he will eat the fruit of his punishment, therefore he should be careful in this matter because death and life is in the hand of speech. The Torah informs us of the punishment of lashon hara because one who is not careful from it is punished and stricken with tzaraas and this is why he is called a metzora (מצורע) which is a mnemonic for motzi shem ra (מוציא שם רע) which literally means spreading a bad name and refers to falsely slandering, for the name of the punishment explains the sin he is punished for. The Torah requires an offering to be brought for the sin of speech and one is only purified by a kohen.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
 The power of speech has the potential to make an impact on generations. By using one’s speech, we can bring people together, to make peace or inspire others to return to the Torah way of life or to be excited to continue in the Torah way of life. To delve deeper into the meanings of the ways Hashem prescribes for us to live our lives, that can affect the masses and generations for the good, as Rabbeinu Bachye in fact points out. However, isn’t it true that lashon hara and evil talk can affect a person negatively, causing much strife that will effect many people, and turn people off from Judaism, which can also effect the masses and generations? Indeed, look what happened by Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, which caused the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdas! Or look at the lashon hara the spies said about the Holy Land, which effected generations from entering the land of Israel earlier, or prevented them from entering it at all. So why didn’t Rabbeinu Bachye mention the effect on the masses that lashon hara has from the negative perspective, like he spoke about the Torah affecting the masses positively?

However, Rabbeinu Bachye wasn’t just telling us about the power of speech; rather, the introduction to the Torah portion was words of inspiration, which are supposed to impact us for both the positive and the negative, to inspire us to use our speech to amass many, many mitzvos. Can you imagine, if a person can speak 150 words a minute, which is 9,000 words an hour, what an amount, unlike any other mitzvah, can be amassed in one day potentially for the good; but also for the bad, how many words of lashon hara can potentially be spoken each day, it’s immense! This should inspire us to speak more positive speech and less negative speech!

It would also seem, however, that Rabbeinu Bachye, in his incredible understanding of what will inspire a person to speak more for the good and to speak less for the bad, sees from this pasuk in Mishley that to show people the global impact which something positive has that can effect so many people and possibly for generations, that point will inspire a person to keep at it or to start to speak more positively, whether it’s learning more Torah, bringing peace to the world, etc. But that depiction does not make as big of an impact when it comes to stopping a person from sinning, the focus on immediate punishment for oneself. Such as the example of the spiritual ailment of tzaraas, or being branded a negative name as a metzora, which connotes a bad name given to someone for slandering others. It makes more of an impact to stop someone from sinning then to talk about the effect lashon hara might have on the masses or for generations.

This is how people relate to reward and punishment. Reward is more looked at in terms of worldly implications, the more far-reaching the better. Punishment however is viewed through the guise of how it personally affects oneself, which is more impactful in terms of deterrence from sin.

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Tazria – Extremes Under Distress

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Important note: This week’s haftorah is read for Shabbos HaChodesh but the dvar Torah is taken from the normal haftorah for the Torah portion of Tazria.
This week’s Haftorah has an obvious connection to the Torah portion of Tazria, which discusses the spiritual ailment of tzaraas The haftorah discusses Na’aman, the general of Aram, who according to the Ralbag had the physical ailment of leprosy, as it says, “Now Naaman, the general of the king of Aram, was a prominent man before his lord and respected, for through him had the Lord given victory to Aram; and the man was a great warrior, and he was a leper… And the letter came to the king of Israel, saying, ‘And now, when this letter comes to you, behold I have sent Naaman my servant to you, and you shall cure him of his leprosy’” (Melachim Beis 5:1, 6). The Ralbag on pasuk 6 describes the ailment of Na’aman as a physical disorder that can have many etiologies, for example heat which irritates the skin in a very severe way causing leprosy to form which is quite painful.

Elisha the man of G-D, a student of Eliyahu HaNavi, heard that the King of Aram sent a letter to the King of Israel to heal Na’aman and he volunteered to heal him. Na’aman went to Elisha’s house. “And Elisha dispatched a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and immerse yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will become clean.’ Now Naaman became incensed, and he went away, and he said, ‘Here I thought that he would come out to see me, and he would stand and call in the name of Hashem his God, and he would raise his hand to The Place and cure the leper.’ Are not Amanah and Parpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Will I not immerse myself in them and become clean?” And he turned and went away in anger. And his servants approached and spoke to him and said, ‘Master, if the prophet spoke to you to do a difficult thing, would you not do it? And surely since he said to you, immerse yourself and become clean’” (Pesukim 10-13 there.) Na’aman finally listened to the advice of Elisha and was healed; his skin was as smooth as that of a young child. He was so impressed that he repented from his previous way of life and committed himself to the belief and faith of Hashem, The Almighty!

The Ralbag explains Na’aman’s original disbelief and how he was swayed. Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River 7 times, but Na’aman thought that Elisha would just raise his hands towards Hashem, make some sort of supplication, and he would be cured. Na’aman thought that what Elisha asked him to do was ridiculous because he bathed in other rivers like Amanah and Parpar, the rivers of Damascus, and had not yet been cured. Only after his servants gently approached him with respect and pointed out that if the prophet would have told you to do some major thing you would have done it to be healed, so now that he is telling you to do some minor thing to be healed, like this, just washing in the Jordan 7 times, then you should just listen to his words. He did, and the rest is history; he was healed and became a strong supporter of Hashem. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Why didn’t Na’aman obey Elisha’s simple guidance to begin with? Based on his servant’s analysis, which seems to have been true, he would have done something a lot more complex, like elect to have intricate surgery or do whatever would have to be done to find a cure. Even if it would mean milking a lioness, going to some other far off and dangerous place to find a certain herb, throw in some other bitter or spicy ingredients and drink it, he would have still done that; so why did he refuse to just listen to Elisha’s advice, what would it hurt? He even made up an excuse that it would not work. If he thought that just praying to Hashem and Elisha waving his hands would poof, just work to cure his illness, then maybe Elisha knew that the Jordan River had special healing waters or would trigger some miracle from Hashem. Why doubt it just because other waters didn’t work, even if he felt they were better?

It would seem though that when a person is in distress as Na’aman was it is human psychology to think in extremes, and even to go so far as to make up excuses to not listen to the obvious advice people give, until someone can focus him/her and show him/her that sometimes the simple, middle of the road solution is the best way to go.

Na’aman was only willing to accept two extremes, either he do absolutely nothing and Elisha would do all the work to elicit Hashem to cure him, or he would have to do something complex to be cured. It didn’t dawn on him that it could be anything else, even when he was instructed to do something as simple as just dip seven times in the Jordan River. And when he was told to, the idea sounded so foreign to him hat he even made up seemingly logical justifications as to why it should not work. Only after his servants gently pointed out that there was no harm in trying to do what the prophet said to do, then everything clicked, and it was worth giving a try.

It’s important to be aware that it’s basic human psychology to think in extremes when under duress, so that we can act accordingly and help others focus to resolve an issue with clarity of mind and be more willing to entertain the advice that others offer which seem to be a compromise of the two extremes.

https://www.israelbookshoppublications.com/store/pc/Rolling-Rabbi-41p6794.htm Biography of my brother in law Rabbi Yehuda Simes  Buy it today!!
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Shemini – The Holy Vanguard Elite

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At the very end of this week’s Torah portion of Shemini, while discussing kosher and non-kosher animals, the Torah says in reference to small, non-kosher animals like frogs, turtles, vermin etc., “These are the contaminated ones to you among the creepy crawlers that crawl on this earth” (Vayikra 11:29).
 The Daas Zekeinim points out that it sounds like for “you” they are a contamination, but not for the gentiles. This is what it means when the pasuk in Chabakuk (3:6) says “He gave up on the nations,” for he allowed them to eat creepy crawlers and vermin. This is comparable to two sick people who the doctor came to visit, as brought down in the Medrish Tanchuma, parshas Shemini, paragraph 6. (Click here for Hebrew text.)

The medrish there is discussing how Hashem purposefully gave the Torah in public to the Jewish people after he went around to every nation asking if they wanted the Torah and each one refused. Hashem was ready to revert the waters back to the second day of creation when there was no dry land, but the Jewish people accepted the Torah, and the world was spared. At that time Hashem passed a verdict on the gentile nations that prohibitions on the Jews were permitted to them and they were even allowed to eat creepy crawlers and vermin. The medrish gave this parable to explain why Hashem did this. “A doctor visited two sick people, he saw one of them was in danger of dying, and told his family to give him anything he wanted to eat. He saw that the other one would live in the future. He said to them [his family] that you should feed him this food but not that food. They asked the doctor, ‘what is this? To one you said he can eat whatever he wants and to the other you said he shouldn’t eat this and that?’ The doctor responded to them, ‘The one who will live I said he should eat this and not that. But the one who will die, I told them whatever he wants to eat give him, because he won’t live any way.’ So to Hashem permitted creepy crawlers and vermin to the gentiles but the Jews who will have [eternal] life, he told them, ‘And you shall be holy for I am Holy’ (Vayikra 11:44) ‘Don’t make your souls abominable’ (11:43) ‘This you should eat and this you should not eat, do not be contaminated by them…’ Why? For the sake of your life, as it says, ‘And you who cling to Hashem your G-D, will all have life that day…” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
 The Daas Zekeinim brought this parable mentioned in the medrish to explain why the Jews were commanded to keep kosher, while gentiles were not only not commandedto, but were permitted to eat whatever they want, as if Hashem gave up on their lives and their purity. A purity which gives one the ability to come closer to Hashem. Why is that fair on the gentiles? How is it possible that The All Merciful All Gracious Hashem could just give up on and let the gentiles just rot like that? They are also human beings, made in the image of Hashem, with the potential to strive and to grow, to choose between good and bad?
 However, in pasuk 45, Hashem reiterates, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” The Daas Zekeinim on this pasuk says that for this reason its befitting that since Hashem is holy then His servants should also be holy, and the poet pointed this out in the liturgy of the high holy days when we say each year during mussaf, right after kedusha, “It is fitting that the Holy One be glorified by holy ones.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Daas Zekeinim is sending us a message in these back-to-back commentaries. Hashem expects the Jewish people to conduct themselves on a different plane than the gentiles because we’re the servants of Hashem, the elite vanguard of the King Of Kings, Holy and Blessed is He. A priestly nation and a light onto the world, we are therefore treated and correspondingly expected to act in a more pure and sanctified manner. We chose life while the gentile nations rejected the eternal life. They have the ability individually, on their own, to choose life and convert. It’s a responsibility, not just an honor, which is supposed to be taken seriously. Hashem didn’t give up on the nations, the nations gave up on themselves; but they can individually come back and are accepted by Hashem if they completely accept Him.

However, because we Jews accepted Hashem when we were asked to accept Him and His Torah then even if we stray from Hashem and contaminate ourselves, He never gives up on us and is always waiting with open arms like a father to a son, for us to return and purify ourselves.

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Purim – Brotherly Jealousy

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In the story of Yosef and his brothers, the jealousy amongst the brothers got out of control on some level. But at the very end of the Megillas Esther we find a whole different perspective on brotherly jealousy. The last pasuk of the megilla writes, “For Mordechai the Jew was viceroy to King Achashverosh; he was a great man among the Jews and found favor with most of his brethren; he sought the good of his people and spoke for the welfare of all his seed” (Esther 10:3).

The Ibn Ezra explains the last part of the pasuk. “And found favor with most of his brethren, for it is not possible for a person to make everyone happy since there is brotherly jealousy. He sought the good for his people, it would have been enough for him to do good to those that asked him for a favor, but he sought out people to do good to them. His seed, refers to his children and grandchildren. Normally children fear their fathers and behold he first spoke peacefully even to his children who are like his servants and even to the rest of his nation. The pasuk mentioned his great attributes and humility just as it mentions about Moshe our master, ‘And the man Moshe was the humblest person of all mankind.'” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Mordechai just saved the Jewish people from complete annihilation at the hands of Haman. He was the one who convinced Esther to confront Achashveirosh. He was the one who got Bigsan and Seresh killed for the attempted assassination of the king, which led to Mordechai’s reward and Haman’s ultimate downfall. He also was a part of the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish court, and a tremendous sage who knew 70 languages and helped many Jews resolve their issues. Besides the Jews being totally indebted to Mordechai for saving their lives, once he became viceroy to Achashveirosh he became even more active in the Jewish community. Normally a good politician will be open to helping anyone who asks for help if they can, but he went out of his way to search for Jews who needed his help. He was also gentle and soft spoken to everyone including his family members, searching out peace, and not intimidating anyone.

Such humility, on par with Moshe Rabbeinu; how then even for Mordechai the Righteous, was it possible for anyone not to like him but only find favor in their eyes? It would seem according to the Ibn Ezra that this concept of “brotherly jealousy ” on some level makes it impossible to have everyone like you, no matter how nice of a person you are. It’s a natural tendency in the world, not necessarily outright jealousy, but a familial, lower-grade jealousy that always exists and is impossible to avoid. Therefore it’s impossible to expect for everyone to like you; that’s just the way of the world.

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Vayikra-A Hyper Focus on Science

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 It’s very important to note that this week is Parshas Zachor and there is a Torah level obligation fulfilled when listening to the maftir aliyah. There is also a special haftorah. However, there is a very important message in this dvar Torah taken from the haftorah that  would have been normally read for this week’s Torah portion of Vayikra.

Towards the beginning of Nishmas, which is said at the end of pesukei dizimra on Shabbos and yom tov, it states, “From this world to the World to Come You are G-D and other than You we have no king, redeemer, or savior.” This statement is based on a pasuk in the haftorah taken from Yeshayahu (44:6), “So said Hashem, King of Israel and its Redeemer, Hashem Master of Legions: I am the first and I am the last, and aside from Me there is no G-D.”
 The Radak on this pasuk points out that when it says, “So said Hashem, King of Israel and its Redeemer,” it means that when we will be redeemed, He will be the Jewish King by himself. We won’t be under the control of any non-Jewish nation. He is the Master of Legions, down below and on high, and everything is within His ability, and it is within His ability to take us out of exile. Hashem is saying, ‘I am the first and I created everything, and I am the last. Everything has an end, but I am everlasting, and there is no other all-powerful force. This comes to nullify any belief in serving the sun or the moon and stars, they are only powerful upon My command. With my permission they rule over what they rule over.’ (Click here for Hebrew text.)
 This pasuk seems to be one of the ultimate, all-encompassing verses about our belief in Hashem within Tanach. The simple message being that Hashem was before time and existence and will be after everything is said and done. He created everything and is in constant control of what has happened, is happening, and will happen, speedily in our days. The Radak seems to emphasize that there is a purpose to understanding the science and the greatness and power of the universe and world around us, in order for us to better appreciate the All-powerful Hashem who created all of it and is constantly keeping it and us in existence.
 However, 1,042 years after the creation of the world, in the generation of Enosh, as alluded to in Shabbos 118b, people started to worship idols. Why? The Radak says in Breishis 4:26 that “he saw in the words of Chaza”l, and this is the view of most people, that in the days of Enosh people mistakenly went after idolatry.” This means that at that time people referred to stars and constellations in the name of Hashem, meaning they would worship and pray to them. For they thought they were the intermediaries between G-D and the rest of His creation and because of their greatness and awesomeness it was befitting to worship them. They believed that they gave success to whoever worshiped them, for they were the leaders of the lower world. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
 We see from the mistake of the generation of Enosh that focusing on the greatness and awesomeness of nature can result in idolatry; so how can the Radak say that doing the same thing will result in a better appreciation of Hashem? Shouldn’t there be a concern of making a mistake and going astray just as the generation of Enosh did? They also believed in Hashem! They just thought that Hashem was in a different domain and  that the things in charge down here were the stars and astrology.

However, it would seem from the Radak in Yeshayahu that a person must have a solid foundation in the basic belief that Hashem is where everything starts and ends and without Him constantly maintaining our existence we will cease to exist. We just have a mitzvah to fortify that foundation and build a fortress of belief in Hashem by appreciating as much as possible the greatness and all-powerful awesomeness of Hashem, which can be done by looking into his creation through science, astronomy, astrology, and the like, to see that if the nature of this world is so great and detailed, then how much more greater the One who created it, and is constantly maintaining it, must be.

The generation of Enosh had a weak foundation, so they began to worship other things when they analyzed them all and realized the incredible G-D given powers everything in creation had. But they didn’t focus on the G-D given part. Today it is worse, the foundation doesn’t even exist amongst atheists, and therefore they look into the science and create a whole world which doesn’t even exist, based on speculations and hypotheses because they have no foundation in believing the existence of Hashem.

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Pekudei –

Difference Between Work and Service
In the conclusion of the Book of Shemos, the Torah portion of Pekudei, it records in Perek 39:

42. In accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel do all the work. מבכְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־משֶׁ֑ה כֵּ֤ן עָשׂוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת כָּל־הָֽעֲבֹדָֽה:
43Moses saw the entire work, and lo! they had done it-as the Lord had commanded, so had they done. So Moses blessed them. מגוַיַּ֨רְא משֶׁ֜ה אֶת־כָּל־הַמְּלָאכָ֗ה וְהִנֵּה֙ עָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה כֵּ֣ן עָשׂ֑וּ וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹתָ֖ם משֶֽׁה:

Rabbeinu Bachye observes in pasuk 42 that it should have said כל המלאכה, all the work, but instead the Torah calls the work of the mishkan an עבודה, which is better translated as a service. Meaning, that they did the service of Hashem, just as it writes in Shemos (23:25), “And you shall serve Hashem your G-D,” and also in Devarim perek (13:5), “And Him shall you serve.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
In the very next pasuk we see that it says Moshe ‘saw the entire work,’ so it makes sense that the previous pasuk refers to the same thing; however the term used is ‘service,’ not ‘work.’ The reason for this is to teach us that the Jews weren’t just treating the building of the Mishkan like any other building, but they had the attitude that they were serving Hashem through its building.

But what if they hadn’t had this attitude; wouldn’t they still be building Hashem’s palace, the resting place of the Shechina, Hashem’s Holy Presence, in this world? So either way they would be doing Hashem’s handiwork.

It would seem from here that without the proper intentions, even if you are doing the most holy of jobs, it is simply a job. But if your motivation is that I am working to serve Hashem, then it is transformed into serving Hashem.

Attitudes have such a transformative effect!

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Vayakhel – Siman Tov and Mazel Tov

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Very important note: This is not the haftorah for this week since it is Shabbos Shekalim. However, there is a very nice message learned from this haftorah and I apologize for any inconveniences. Enjoy the dvar Torah for the sake of learning, lihagdil Torah viya’adir!

In years where we read the haftorah for the Torah portion of Vayakhel, the Sefardim read from Melachim Alef perek 7 pesukim 13-26. The haftorah discusses pillars that were erected in the Beis Hamikdash, just as the Torah portion discusses the actual building of the Mishkan.

There is a commentary on the Mishna by the Tiferes Yisrael referred to as Yachin Boaz. This name comes from a pasuk in this haftorah. In pasuk 21 it states, “He erected the pillars by the hall of the Sanctuary; he erected the right pillar and called its name Yachin and he erected the left pillar and called its name Boaz.”

The Radak on this pasuk explains why each pillar was given a name. “The fact that he called each pillar  was as a siman tov, a good sign, because they were in the entrance of the house, therefore he gave them names as a good sign. One was called Yachin, which comes from the word that means preparation, that the house should be set up forever as it says, “Like the moon it shall be set up forever.” Boaz comes from the word that means strength and it’s actually a combination of a word that means ‘in it shall be strength,’ meaning G-D shall give it strength so that it will last, as it says, “Hashem is the source of strength for his nation.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Was King Shlomo really so superstitious that he needed to erect good signs, siman tov, to the entrance of the Beis Hamikdash? What was the point of the pillars? The Beis Hamikdash was the palace on earth for Hashem, the Almighty King Of All Kings, and there were ten miracles that constantly occurred during the First Beis HaMikdash. So why were good signs needed, seemingly to protect the Temple? Furthermore, we know that the Beis Hamikdash was actually destroyed because of our sins. So, it was absolutely pointless to have “a good luck charm” of sorts on the entrance. If so, why did King Shlomo do this?

It’s true that the permanency of the structure of the Temple depended upon our loyalty to Hashem; but we must say that there really is something to having good signs, and at the very least it adds, even if it is not needed.

We see from here that there really is a concept of an ayin hara, evil eye, and ayin tov, a good eye. A good sign, siman tov, is something of value which should be treated seriously, assuming that there is a basis for it in our mesora, our tradition, and not something which was just made up or borrowed from other people.

However, what’s important to realize is that good signs are not what drives a successful existence rather it is doing G-D’s will, being scrupulous in serving Hashem which brings us success and plenty, the good signs are just an added plus, a reinforcing of the good quality of life that we are living by serving Hashem properly.

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Ki Sisa – Proactive Positive Reinforcement

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The Tur (581) begins the halachos of Rosh Hashana by quoting a medrish, in the Pirkei DiRebbe Eliezer (46), which is related to this week’s Torah portion of Ki Sisa. The medrish relates the chronological events that took place before and after the sin of the golden calf:

“Rebbe Yehoshua ben Karcha said, ’Forty days Moshe was there on the mountain, he read the Written Torah by day and learned the Oral Torah by night. After 40 days he took the tablets and went down to the camp. On the 17th of Tammuz, he shattered the tablets and killed the accursed of the Jews. He was involved in the camp for 40 days with burning the golden calf, and pulverizing it into the dust of the earth, and he killed all who kissed the golden calf. He also cut out any lasting semblance of idolatry from amongst the Jews and set up each tribe in their perspective place. On Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first of the month of Elul, Hashem told Moshe, ‘Go up the mountain to Me and they blew the shofar throughout the entire encampment for Moshe was going up the mountain so that they won’t be tricked again into idolatry. Hashem was elevated on that day by that shofar as it says, ‘G-D was elevated by the shofar blast, Hashem with the voice of the shofar’ (Tehillim 47:6). Therefore, the Rabbis enacted the shofar to be blown on Rosh Chodesh Elul every year.”

The Bayis HaGadol comments on the line “and they blew the shofar through the entire encampment for Moshe was going up the mountain;” this means that because of the shofar blasts everyone came together, and they told them that Moshe was to go up the mountain. Since one could say that if they had simply made an announcement, that would have traveled  around to everyone and been sufficient to prevent anyone from sinning, and there was therefore no point to the shofar, it was therefore necessary to say that Hashem was uplifted on that day with the shofar. As it says, ‘G-D was elevated by the shofar blast…’ meaning Hashem was uplifted by the blast which refers to the blast of Rosh Hashana as it says by it, ‘A day of blast shall be for you’. However, the end of the pasuk, ‘Hashem with a voice of the shofar’ is superfluous, and must be written to teach us about the voice of the shofar in the desert. That because of it they went after Hashem, and they didn’t have any other mistaken beliefs. Also, in this way, Hashem was elevated and therefore it was enacted that the shofar will be blown on Rosh Chodesh Elul every year to remember that shofar blast. The Bayis HaGadol goes on to say that the Tur concludes that the custom of blowing the shofar throughout the entire month of Elul, in addition to the first day, is to arouse us to repent; but the blowing on the first day is specifically dedicated to remembering the blast which announced Moshe going back up the mountain to receive the second set of tablets which he brought back on Yom Kippur.(Click here for Hebrew text.)

It would seem according to this medrish that on some level the sin of the golden calf had to do with idolatry. The Prisha (2) on the Tur also comments that because Hashem was elevated by the same shofar that saved the Jews from sinning, that is why we blow it on Rosh Chodesh Elul. Elaborating on the Bayis HaGadol’s question, why was the Shofar needed to ensure everyone knew Moshe was going up the mountain another time for 40 days so that they will be careful not to succumb to idolatry again? Isn’t it safe to assume that there was a 99.9% chance that they would not make a mistake going down the same path again, especially after just seeing thousands of people killed for the sin of the golden calf? In addition, the golden calf was melted down and pulverized into ashes, and any other remanence of idolatry were wiped out of the camp; therefore wouldn’t the feelings of yiras ha’onesh, fear of punishment, be running very high at that moment? Furthermore, nowhere does it say that Hashem ceased giving them manna from heaven, water from the rock, and clouds of glory by day and fire by night just because of the sin of the golden calf. Fear of punishment coupled with a sense of gratitude knowing Hashem was still performing open miracles for them even though they rebelled against Him should have been enough to deter them from falling into the trap of idolatry again; so why was the Shofar blast needed?

It would seem that the shofar blast was a positive physical oractive reinforcement, that being in this case the royal trumpet blasts uplifting Hashem’s sovereignty and majesty over everything, to ensure that there was no room for making a mistake and turning to idolatry again.

We can take a lesson from this that even though a person might feel a tremendous amount of love and fear for Hashem, positive proactive reinforcement still helps to ensure a person will not mistakenly turn down the wrong path and is worthwhile to use even if it seems highly unlikely that a mistake could happen.

We find this lesson in the beginning of this medrish as well. The medrish said that Moshe read the Written Torah by day and learned the Oral Torah by night. The Bayis HaGadol quoting a Medrish Tanchuma says this means that Hashem taught Moshe the Written Torah by day and the Oral Torah by night. The Bayis HaGadol explains that the intent is to show us that even at night the mind (literally in the Hebrew text, the heart) of a person does not rest, and if one cannot look into a book, he should learn Torah by heart and it should flow from his lips.
Everyone knows there is a mitzva to learn Torah 24/7 as it says in Yehoshua 1:8, “This book of the Torah shall not leave your mouth; you shall meditate therein day and night.” So why does Hashem have to specifically teach Moshe the written Torah by day and the Oral Torah by night? Isn’t it obvious that if there is a mitzva to learn at night we can figure out logically on our own how to do it even if it is hard to read at night, especially if we know there is such thing as an Oral Torah? Why then did Hashem specifically teach Moshe the Torah in this manner in order to teach us this lesson?

The answer must be that positive reinforcement is worthwhile to be done to ensure people won’t make up any excuses that one’s heart or mind is meant to shut down at night, and obviously, if you can’t see there is no obligation of Torah learning at night even though it is extremely clear that the obligation of Torah study never stops, therefore this positive reinforcement emphasizes otherwise.

No matter how confident you are positive proactive reinforcement helps.